89、“我必将生命树赐给他吃”表示对来自主的爱与仁之良善的吸收或采用。在圣言中，“吃”表示吸收或采用；“生命树”表示爱之良善方面的主；因此，“吃生命树”表示对来自主的爱之良善的吸收或采用。“吃”表示吸收或采用，因为正如属世食物当被吃掉时，就被同化为人身体的生命，属灵食物当被接受时，则被同化为他灵魂的生命。“生命树”表示爱之良善方面的主，是因为伊甸园中的生命树并不表示别的，还因为人从由主那里所接受的爱和仁之良善中拥有属天和属灵的生命。许多地方都提到“树”，“树”是指教会之人，在普遍意义上是指教会本身，其“果实”是指生活的良善。原因在于，主是“生命树”，在教会中并与教会之人同在的一切良善都来自祂；关于这个主题，详情可见于适当的地方。我们说爱与仁之良善，是因为爱之良善是属天良善，也就是对主之爱的良善，仁之良善是属灵良善，也就是对邻之爱的良善。每种良善的性质或品质和特征将在下文被告知。关于它们，也可参看《天堂与地狱》(13-19节)中的相关内容。
89. "'I will give to eat from the tree of life.'" This symbolizes an assimilation of the goodness of love and charity from the Lord.
In the Word, to eat means, symbolically, to assimilate, and the tree of life symbolizes the Lord in respect to the goodness of love. Thus eating of the tree of life symbolizes an assimilation of the goodness of love from the Lord.
To eat means, symbolically, to assimilate because as natural food, when eaten, is assimilated into the life of a person's body, so spiritual food, when received, is assimilated into the life of his soul.
The tree of life symbolizes the Lord in respect to the goodness of love because that is what the tree of life symbolizes in the Garden of Eden, and because a person has celestial and spiritual life from the goodness of love and charity that he receives from the Lord.
Many passages make mention of a tree, and it means a person of the church, and in the broadest sense the church itself, its fruit meaning goodness of life. The reason is that the Lord is the tree of life, the source of every good in the church and in a person of the church. But more on this subject in its proper place.
We say the goodness of love and charity, because the goodness of love is celestial good, which is an expression of love toward the Lord, and the goodness of charity is spiritual good, which is an expression of love for the neighbor. The nature and character of each good will be told in discussions to follow. Something about them may be seen in the book Heaven and Hell, nos. 13-19.
89. 'I will give to eat of the tree of life' signifies the appropriation of the good of love and charity from the Lord. By 'to eat' in the Word is signified to appropriate, and by 'the tree of life' is signified the Lord as to the good of love. Consequently by 'to eat of the tree of life' is signified the appropriation of the good of love from the Lord. 'To eat' signifies to appropriate, because just as natural food, when it is eaten, is appropriated to the life of a man's body, so spiritual food, when it is received, is appropriated to the life of his soul. The Lord as to the good of love is signified by 'the tree of life' because nothing else is signified by the TREE OF LIFE in the garden of Eden; also because a man's celestial and spiritual life is the result of the good of love and charity that is received from the Lord. 'A tree' is mentioned in many places, and by it is understood a man of the Church, and in the universal sense the Church itself, and by its fruit the good of life. This is because the Lord is the Tree of Life, from Whom is every good with the man of the Church, and in the Church; but of this in its own place. It is said 'the good of love and charity' because the good of love is a celestial good that is of love directed to the Lord, and the good of charity is a spiritual good that is of love towards the neighbour. What the one good is and what the other, and the quality of each, will be stated in the things following. Some things about them may be seen in the work concerning HEAVEN AND HELL 13-19.
89. I will give to eat of the tree of life, signifies appropriation of the good of love and charity from the Lord. "To eat" in the Word signifies to appropriate; and "the tree of life" signifies the Lord as to the good of love; therefore by "eating of the tree of life" is signified the appropriation of the good of love from the Lord. "To eat" signifies to appropriate, because as natural food when it is eaten is appropriated to the life of man's body, so spiritual food when it is received is appropriated to the life of his soul. "The tree of life" signifies the Lord as to the good of love, because nothing else is signified by the tree of life in the garden of Eden; also because man has celestial and spiritual life from the good of love and charity which is received from the Lord. "Tree" is mentioned in many places, and by it is meant the man of the church, and in the universal sense the church itself, and by its "fruit" the good of life; the reason is, that the Lord is "the tree of life," from whom comes all good with the man of the church, and in the church; but of this in its own place. It is said the good of love and charity, because the good of love is celestial good, which is that of love to the Lord, and the good of charity is spiritual good, which is that of love towards the neighbor. What and of what quality the one and the other good is will be told in what follows. Something may be seen concerning them in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, (13-19).
89. Dabo edere de Arbore vitae," significat appropriationem boni amoris et charitatis a Domino. - Per "edere" in Verbo significatur appropriare et per "Arborem vitae," significatur Dominus quoad bonum amoris; inde per "edere de Arbore vitae," significatur appropriatio boni amoris a Domino. Quod per "edere" significetur appropriare, est quia sicut cibus naturalis, cum editur, appropriatur vitae corporis hominis, ita cibus spiritualis, cum recipitur, appropriatur vitae animae ejus. Quod per "Arborem vitae" significetur Dominus quoad bonum amoris, est quia non aliud per "Arborem vitae" in Horto Edenis significatur; tum quia vita caelestis et spiritualis homini est ex bono amoris et charitatis quod recipitur a Domino. Multis in locis nominatur "Arbor," et per illam intelligitur homo Ecclesiae, ac in universali sensu ipsa Ecclesia, et per "fructum" ejus bonum vitae; causa est, quia Dominus est "Arbor vitae," ex Quo omne bonum apud hominem Ecclesiae et in Ecclesia est; sed de hoc in suo loco. Dicitur bonum amoris et charitatis, quia bonum amoris est bonum caeleste, quod est amoris in Dominum, et bonum charitatis est bonum spirituale, quod est amoris erga proximum; quid et quale unum bonum et alterum, in sequentibus dicetur; videantur aliqua de illis in Opere de Caelo et Inferno 13-19.